


love can touch us one time (and last for a lifetime)

by plaidpants44



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Bananas, Fluff, Food, M/M, Recreational Drug Use, a little bit of tattoo foreshadowing, harry is ridiculously over emotional, lots of bananas, louis is kinda self depreciating, no smut though, titanic? if that counts as a thing, zayn is secretly fond of his hat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-04
Updated: 2015-01-04
Packaged: 2018-03-05 10:16:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3116393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plaidpants44/pseuds/plaidpants44
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the center seat of the first row a shadow is shaking, sounding more and more like muffled cries as Louis comes closer. Closed over himself is the pretty boy he ran into earlier, alone despite what Louis thought.</p><p>Now, Louis can be a good person. He loves his sisters more than anything and holds the door open for people on a regular basis. But it’s stuff like this, actually comforting another human being that he isn't related to, Louis sucks at. This wasn't part of his training.</p><p>(or the one where Louis can't tell whether he hates his job or himself more, Harry loves Titanic, Zayn kinda likes his hat, and Niall's just happy to be there.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	love can touch us one time (and last for a lifetime)

**Author's Note:**

> okay so this is my first larry fic!! i used to write het fic in 2012 but it was shit, so this is new to me. ao3 kind of scares me but wattpad is unacceptable so i had to at least try.
> 
> this was inspired by xfactorera's (previously spankingkink) tags on tumblr (i also have no clue how to link things)
> 
> thank you to anna (unrequitedpining) for reassuring me it wasn't as terrible as i thought it was and for beta-ing it for me
> 
> my tumblr is girlalmightie
> 
> i probably spelled things wrong

Harry knows he shouldn't do it. The last time he watched it he didn't come out of his room for three days. His mom had to call Greg to jump on the bed until his headache was strong enough for him to have to walk downstairs for Advil. But alas, he's a hormonal teenage boy with a soft spot for mediocre romance movies, so it's no surprise when he's walking into the theatre at eleven thirty at night to see a special viewing of Titanic. Alone.

The lobby is already packed, despite the movie not opening for another fifteen minutes. Harry pats himself on the back ---mentally of course, he’s already weird enough as it is--- for ordering his ticket online and walks to the concession stand, where a small line already formed.

Since no other movies are playing at midnight, the theatre has Titanic themed everything, from cups to chocolate covered raisins. There are even cardboard cutouts of young Leonardo DiCaprio spread across the room. Noticing the surplus of couples, Harry frowns. He should have thought to bring Liam, or even Gemma, who can't say no to Harry when it comes to his stupid obsession. He almost doesn't notice a particularly good looking cashier cough loudly for his attention.

“Welcome to AMC Theatre, how may I help you?" The boy looks roughly Harry's age, with earrings and tattoos. Maybe even intimidating if it weren't for the hat he was wearing, which was shaped like an iceberg.

"Uhh, can I have a medium popcorn with a bottle of water please?" Harry hates ordering food alone. He has a rough time deciding what's enough for an eighteen-year-old boy.

"We have a Jack and Rose special tonight; large popcorn and two medium drinks for fifteen dollars if you'd like." Embarrassment crawls onto Harry's cheeks; he's probably the only single person there.

"Erm, no thank you." He looks down at his stupidly large feet. Why couldn't he find someone who enjoys sappy, depressing love movies as much as him?

The total ends up being ten dollars, which is completely ridiculous in Harry’s opinion. He could buy a box of popcorn and a case of water bottles for less than that. Nevertheless, he pays and gets into the queue circling around the entrance.

Girls are tugging on their boyfriends arms in excitement while the latter roll their eyes. He’s stuck in a sea of heterosexuality. _Heterosexualisea_ , Harry giggles to himself. He is hilarious.

He continues to think of sea related puns until he’s asked to give his ticket over, quite aggressively may he add, and he gets to choose which theatre he’d like to watch in.

Strategically, he should go to the one farthest away from the entrance since most people fill them in order. That way, he could sit in the back and cry in peace. But, being the lazy optimist that he is, Harry enters the first theatre. There are only a few seats left in the front row, but it’s too late to leave now. everyone would stare at the lonely guy making a shit ton of noise trying to leave.

 

The previews are about to end, so Harry blindly shuffles to his seat. Just as he’s about to sit, a smaller boy rushes past him and almost knocks him over. Harry lets out a tiny “oops!” as he almost spills his popcorn. The attacker comes back to steady him, grabbing his bicep and looking into his eyes. They stay like that for a second, but the blue-eyed stranger only replies with a “hi” before disappearing again. Harry shakes it off and recollects himself before taking his seat, front row and centre. He pulls his pack of tissues out of the inside of his jacket in preparation. The opening credits begin, and he readies himself for the river of tears to come.

\----

“I fucking hate Titanic.” Louis grumbles, arms crossed and lips in a frown. Zayn only huffs out a cloud of smoke from his seat across from Louis. Louis hasn’t stopped talking about his hatred for the film since their manager told them they were having a 15 year anniversary showing of the movie.

Then Louis starts going on about some curly haired cute kid he ran into before the movie and how he probably has a girlfriend and how he has a terrible taste in movies, so Zayn passes him his blunt to shut him up. Louis obliges and eventually stops talking.

They sit like this, Louis smoking quietly while Zayn throws stale popcorn at the wall for no apparent reason. It's calming, though. It's breaks like these that help Louis tolerate his job.

“Thank God the movie is three and a half fucking hours, I don’t think I can handle another crying child or spilled box of M&M’s any time soon.” Louis says after a few minutes, the blunt in Zayns hands again.

“At least you didn’t have to deal with the shit ton of giggly girls begging their boyfriends for the Heart of the Ocean candy necklace. I swear, only one boy flirted with me! One! There must be something in the soda.” Zayn mumbles the last part grumpily as he puts the blunt out and throws it into the sewer grate.

“Or maybe it’s that ridiculous hat you’re wearing?” Luckily Louis didn’t get dragged into wearing one of them, but since Zayn’s a cashier he has to sport one all night.

“Bugger off.” He adjusts his iceberg cap before rising to his feet and extending an arm to help Louis back up. “There’s a Taco Bell on the other side of the mall lot. If we leave now we can make it back in time to eat here.”

Together they make their way towards the mall, which is completely black inside since it’s one o’clock in the morning on a Monday night. It’s fairly chilly, but Louis has on an Under Armour sweatshirt and trackies over his work uniform. Zayn’s got nothing, but he’s hotter than the fucking sun already, so he probably has some sort of internal heating system.

“You can take your hat off, you know.” Zayn only shrugs and continues with the absurd chunk of ice on his head.

 

It only takes them another ten minutes to get there, and when they walk in, the very limited amount of eyes in the building immediately go to Zayn. Whether it’s because of his beauty or his hat, Louis does not know. What he does know is that they only have seven dollars combined and Louis is hungry enough to consume half the menu after not eating for the last eight hours. They eventually just order random things off the dollar or less menu and leave with two bags full of shitty Mexican food.

When they get back, they sit inside an abandoned theatre behind the spare concession stand and scarf down whatever crap they got while going back and forth guessing how many tissue boxes Louis is going to find on the floor. It feels like they’ve only been there for a few minutes, but soon Louis is getting drowsy and Zayn is getting antsy.

Zayn gets up and kicks Louis’ chair before opening the door, releasing the stench that is burnt popcorn and fake nacho cheese. “The movie’s ending soon. Better grab your broom clean-up boy.” Louis sticks his tongue out at him and follows him out. They walk to the employee lounge, and either no one smells the weed on them or they’re too tired to ask. Niall, the other newer employee, already has his broom and bin in hand, suspiciously eager about the whole trash collecting ordeal.

“You okay there Horan?” Louis asks. Niall just nods. _He’s just excited to be living, fucking optimist_ , Louis thinks. Maybe if he wasn’t twenty and working in a Manchester movie theatre, he’d be the same way.

A few minutes later, the movie ends and people are rushing to the bathrooms with tears running down their cheeks. Of course Louis is assigned the first, and most crowded, theatre, because why would he ever get a break. He waits another ten minutes, since there are always a few stragglers that stay behind to figure out who played that random waiter two hours into the movie. When he thinks it’s clear, he saunters in, head down. His job is so embarrassing.

Usually his strategy is to start from the back and weave through the rows to the front, but a strange choking noise stops him. In the centre seat of the first row a shadow is shaking, sounding more and more like muffled cries as Louis comes closer. Closed over himself is the pretty boy he ran into earlier, alone despite what Louis thought.

Now, Louis can be a good person. He loves his sisters more than anything and holds the door open for people on a regular basis. But it’s stuff like this, actually comforting another human being that he isn’t related to, Louis sucks at. This wasn’t part of his training.

Louis is tempted to poke him with his broom, but thinks better of it and stands in front of the boy instead.

“Erm, are you okay?” Harry looks up at Louis, tears still in his eyes. Tissues are scattered around him with little bits of popcorn on his lap.

“She said she would never let go….” It sounds like he’s saying it more to himself than Louis, and Louis doesn’t really know how to respond.

“Well, uhh, you’re going to have to leave the theatre sir.” Louis hates these types of conversations. He may be twenty, but that doesn’t mean he can act like it yet. Sobs become louder as the music from the credits fades away and the lights turn on.

“That door could have fucking held the both of them! Why would Rose do that?!”  

“Sir---”

“At least they had nice sex before they died.” Laughing to himself, Harry looks away with red cheeks. The sobbing begins again soon enough, and Louis is still standing awkwardly in front of Harry, so he takes a seat next to him and starts rubbing his back. Whenever his sisters would throw a fit and bawl for a few hours, the only way to console them was to trace things on their back. Harry looks like he’s in a similar situation, so Louis’ method logically should work.

Eventually Harry’s tears spew out at a slower pace and he’s just hiccuping.

“I’m Louis.” Well, obviously. _Your name tag is right there, dumbass_. Harry doesn’t seem to notice though.

“ M’ name’s Harry. Nice to meet you.” He smiles at Louis, all green eyes and dimples. _Fucking dimples._

“Well Harry, I’m sorry but unless you want to get me fired, you’re gonna have to leave. If you’re still upset we can get some ice cream when I’m done cleaning?” _It’s three am, idiot._

“Yeah, that sounds great.” Harry attempts to get up, in the process spilling the rest of his popcorn on the floor. He begins to apologize profusely, but Louis just laughs and tells him to wait in the lobby.  Louis literally has to shove Harry out of the door before he can start cleaning.

\---

When Louis is finally done sweeping every snot-filled tissue and candy wrapper off the floor, he walks to the employee lounge to put his broom and bin back and tell his manager he’s gotta get home now, and that he hopes he has a nice winter break. His manager only rolls his eyes with a smile, telling him to stay out of trouble.

Harry’s sitting on a bench in the lobby when Louis walks out, head tilted towards the ceiling. It looks as if he’s searching for something, like a pattern or design engraved in the concrete darkness.

“Harry?” Louis asks, wondering what the hell he’s looking for.

“Oh, hey Lou,” Harry says, as if the nickname was natural. “Where’re we going?”

“Well, since it’s almost four o’clock in the morning, I think the only place open is McDonalds. That okay with you?” Louis feels shitty for taking him out to the worst fast-food place there is, but Harry looks content with his offer.

Louis puts on his jacket before gesturing towards the door, and Harry follows suit, putting his sweatshirt on and zipping it up almost to the neck. _Weirdo_ , Louis thinks. _Endearing weirdo_. McDonalds is in a different lot than the mall, and since they both have cars, they end up meeting each other there so they don’t have to go back for one of them.

Before Harry can get out of his, Louis exits his car and opens Harry’s car door for him, bowing over exaggeratedly and taking his hand. Harry blushes and steps out of his car, and doesn’t let go while they walk in. No one is there, and Louis can’t decide whether that’s a good or bad thing. Harry seems delighted, though, skipping up to the counter with a dimpled grin.

“Whatcha want then, Harold?” Harry takes a moment to survey the menu before getting a tropical banana smoothie. Louis should have guessed he was the vegan, tree-hugging type.

“Hey, I thought we were going out for _ice cream_? Now I just look like a fat ass.” A frown replaces Harry’s smile and he begins ranting about body positivity while Louis orders a large twisted cone. Louis pays and the girl behind the counter gives them a look before handing them their desserts.

They chose a table by the window, where they can see cars still rushing by at four in the morning.

“Is your mum gonna be worried sick that you’re not home yet?” Louis inquires, licking around the base of his cone in a somewhat suggestive manner. Harry doesn’t seem to notice; he just frowns at Louis.

“M’ not that young. Got my own apartment and everything.” _At least he’s legal,_ Louis thinks. He needs to stop thinking about sex for ten minutes, but it’s hard with someone as attractive as Harry.

Harry continues to tell him about his home, and in turn Louis tells harry about his rats nest. They continue like this, going back and forth about random things, until Louis notices it getting brighter outside.

Harry seems like he’s going to pass out, no matter how attentive he acts when Louis tells him about his love for pizza.

“I think it’s time to get you home, Haz.” Louis blushes when the nickname comes out of his mouth, but it doesn’t phase Harry when he complains, claiming he’s not that tired. Louis rolls his eyes and takes Harry’s empty smoothie cup and throws it away. Harry eventually gets up and follows him outside to their cars.

“You know, this is the first time someone has asked me out after they saw me crying like a baby over a rom-com.”

“Trust me, it’s my first as well.”

Harry looks him dead in the eyes, millions of emotions running through them, before surging forward and connecting their lips. He tastes like bananas and mangoes and a little bit like popcorn, but Louis doesn’t mind. He lifts his hands to tug on Harry’s hair, pulling his head closer. They stay like that, snogging in a McDonalds parking lot at five thirty in the morning. Harry’s hands are on Louis’ waist, and this is the best he’s felt in a long time.

A slight drizzle starts to fall, forcing them to separate their lips, but they still hold each other close and rest their foreheads together.

“So, when can I see you again?”

“What makes you think I want to see you again?” _Shit, he doesn’t like me._ Louis’ panic must be evident, because Harry immediately wipes the smirk off his face, takes Louis’ hand, and kisses it.

“I was only kidding, Lou. Of course I want to see you again. I had a lovely time, despite you bashing my movie choices.” They both smile at that. Louis really hates Titanic. “Give me your phone and I’ll put my number in. Hopefully we can go out again.”

Louis immediately hands over his phone, and when Harry gives it back it reads “pretentious banana boy” with a plethora of monkey emojis.

 **  
**Harry’s in his car before Louis can ask for Harry’s phone so he can return the favor. He drives away blowing Louis a kiss, which Louis takes and puts in his pocket like the cheese-ball he is. Sure, this means he has to text Harry first, which Louis hates doing, but he’s fine with that. Neither of them may know the steps very well, but they’ll just go with it.


End file.
